Party Crasher
by Queen of deNile
Summary: The Joker interrupts a gathering at Wayne manor for his own version of fun. Batfam reverse ages. Just batfam for now, but will have the team in later chapters. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**Alright, so this is my first fanfic, be nice. It's a reverse universe, so the batfam's ages are all opposite. Characters are probably a bit OOC, cause I'll admit I have my own views about what their attitudes are like. **

**Ages-**

**Terry: 25**

**Damian:23**

**Tim: 21**

**Jason: 19 **

**Dick: 15**

**Bruce: 41**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

Dick straightened his tie for the hundredth time and inspected his reflection with a critical eye in the full length mirror of is room.

"Ready, little brother?" Dick smirked and turned to look at Jason, who was slumped against the door frame. Both boys were dressed elegantly in black tuxedos, accompanied with shiny shoes and different colored ties; Dick wore purple while Jason had red.

"As I'll ever be," he replied with a grin, adjusting his tie one final time.

"Let's get a move on, then! You can admire yourself later," Jason said, chuckling at his own joke as he turned and walked down the hall. Dick rolled his eyes behind Jason's back but followed his brother out the door, jogging to catch up with him at the top of the stairs. They descended onto the ground floor together, meeting the rest of their siblings at the bottom.

"Tt. Grayson, Todd, took you long enough." Damian, wearing a dark yellow tie, had his arms crossed and his foot tapping in a decidedly impatient manor.

Tim, sporting a green tie, rolled his eyes at his older brother's complaint. "Oh, stop it, Damian, we all want to delay going into the ballroom as long as possible, you included."

"You are just afraid because your socially inept personality is about to make a showing, Drake," Damian fired back, still standing in his nonchalant but yet somewhat threatening pose.

As Tim made a move to continue the argument Terry, sporting a blue tie, stepped between his younger brothers, putting up placating hands and breaking up the glaring match.

"Ooookay guys, let's just make an effort to suck it up and be nice, just for a couple hours. Afterwards you can tear each other up all you want."

Damian snorted loudly. "Like Drake could ever accomplished that. He-"

Dick cut him off. "Ah, come on, Damien, let's just go in and get this over with."

Damian, always a sucker for Dick's puppy dog eyes and with a major soft spot for his youngest brother, grumbled but uncrossed his arms and followed Jason and Tim into the grand ballroom of the manor. Terry winked at Dick in a gesture of thanks. Dick smirked back and together they followed their brothers into the party. ~~~~~~~~~~~

The main ballroom of Wayne Manor was huge and grand, with high arcing ceilings and shining gold and marble accents, freshly polished It was currently filled with everyone who was anyone in Gotham, all who had turned up to experience on of Bruce Wayne's famous parties, in this case to raise money for the art museum Gotham City planned to begin construction on at the end of the summer. The elegantly and extravagantly dressed crowd was cheerful and talkative, circulated by prim waiters passing around tasty hors d'oeuvres and champagne glasses. Overall, it was turning out to be a successful night.

Bruce Wayne Greeted his sons as they entered the room. With a strained smile on his face, Bruce turned to introduce them to the wealthy couple that had just moved to Gotham from Metropolis.

"Boys, this is Mr. and Mrs. Trenton. They have agreed to sponsor a large part of the new museum project. Mr. and Mrs. Trenton, these are my sons: the oldest, Terry, then Damian, Tim, Jason, and our youngest, Richard."

"Ah, yes, such handsome boys!" Mrs. Trenton, who was clearly past tipsy, exclaimed. "And little Richard, isn't he just the sweetest thing!"

"Yes, Mrs. Trenton," Jason was now grinning broadly. "He really is just adorable!" He clapped a hand firmly on Dick's shoulder and made a move to pinch his cheek. Dick swatted his hand away and elbowed him lightly in the ribs, still sporting a polite smile. Jason went to elbow him back, but Terry quickly stepped between the two.

"It was very nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Trenton, by my brothers and I need to go mingle a bit. I hope we can talk more soon." Terry put a hand on each of Dick and Jason's shoulders, steering them away from the couple. Tim and Damian shook their hands and expressed their thanks, turning to follow the other three into the crowd.~~~~~~

As soon as they were out of the couple's eyeshot, Jason shrugged off his brother's hand and disappeared quickly into the throng of people. Damian and Tim disappeared moments later, all of them knowing the procedure of schmoozing and playing up to the public.

Dick looked up at his oldest brother, whose hand was still on his shoulder.

"Sorry about that, Terry," he said with a sheepish look on his face. Terry smiled back at him softly, squeezing his shoulder.

"That's alright, Dickie-bird. I'm sure Mrs. Trenton won't even remember tonight in the morning, based on the way she's going," he chuckled quietly. Dick grinned back, but the smile slid into a small frown. He glanced at the ground before meeting his older brother's dark blue eyes with his own bright ones.

"So, How long are you planning on staying this time?" He asked earnestly. Terry sighed and rubbed small circles into Dick's back with his thumb before answering. He was currently in law school at Harvard, and didn't get to see his family often. It was hard because he missed them and knew they missed him too, Dick especially. Now that it was summer, however, he could spend some time in Gotham at the manor. He was being considered for a summer internship at a prestigious law firm in New York, though, and if he got it he would need to leave already in another week or so. He didn't want to go so soon, but it was a great opportunity that he didn't want to miss out on.

"I don't know, Dickie," Terry sighed again. "You know I miss you buys but this is such a huge opportunity and-"

"-and I get that, don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you. Don't worry about me, I'm sure I'll survive it," he smirked.

"Thanks, baby brother, I-"

"Not a baby, Terr," Dick cut in again.

"Right, sorry," Terry winked. "I appreciate that. More than you know." He clapped his hand on Dick's shoulder again, and was about to turn away when a loud crash sounded behind them. Both boys quickly whipped around at the sound of the shattering glass and screaming guests. Through the chaos, they could finally what the cause was.

The Joker was laughing manically, wielding two hand guns and waving them wildly in the air. Three Joker goons were also in the room, gripping scary-looking machine guns and running around to stir up extra panic. The Joker shot twice into the air, one shot hitting the room's crystal chandelier and the other going through a large window in the back of the room. The loud gun shots and breaking glass got everyone's attention, and the Joker used this opportunity to yell loudly to the whole room:

"Everyone, listen up! If you are not Bruce Wayne or one of his brats, you have 15 seconds to get out of the room before I blow your brains out! And none of the Waynes better leave either, or you all get blown up anyway!"

At the Joker's words, the crowd made a mad dash to the door. Remarkably, they all managed to make it out in Joker's time slot. The Joker fired a couple more times into the air anyway, letting out a terrifying cackle.

The goons grabbed Damian, Tim, and Jason, yanking them by their collars and dragging them to stand next to Bruce, who was facing the Joker only feet apart in the center of the room with a very angry look on his face. Terry grabbed Dick's arm and yanked him behind himself, mostly obscuring Dick from Joker's view. Dick put the hand from the same arm against Terry's back in a reassuring gesture, and Terry returned the favor by squeezing his arm gently. Dick had gotten very used to all of his brothers' protective natures, and he didn't try to fight it. The two were very close to the Joker as well, catty corner to the others and only a foot farther away.

The three joker goons made a semi circle around Joker, aiming their machine guns at the family. Joker let out a terrifying laugh and looked gleefully around at everyone. He gestured to the goon closest to Dick and Terry.

"You! Grab the little brat for me," he said, still with the creepily wide smile on his face that was currently looking in Dick's direction.

Terry's face quickly went from frustration to surprise to anger.

"No," he growled. Feeling Dick fist the back of his tuxedo jacket, he pushed the 15-year-old even farther behind him. If possible, Joker's grin grew, and he took a step towards them.

"Don't touch them, Joker. Just tell me what you want," Bruce was clearly trying to hide the worry in his voice, but no one except the bat family could detect that. he and the rest of the boys had all taken a step forward at Joker's words.

"Stay back, Wayne. You're not calling the shots with this anymore." Joker lifted his arm and pointed a gun at Terry's forehead, tucking the other into his purple jacket. Terry tensed but stood his ground.

"Step aside, kiddo, or I get to paint this pretty room with your blood."

Dick let go of Terry suddenly, and made a move to walk around him. Terry's grip on his arm tightened, but Dick was determined.

"Terry, please, it's ok."

"Yes, listen to the kid, I just wanna have a little fun!"

"Dick, stop." That was Jason speaking up.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, people, let's move this along," Joker slammed his gun into Terry's head and he fell to the ground. Joker grabbed Dick and pulled him into a headlock with his right arm, using the other to point the gun at his head. Dick's hands flew up to the arm, struggling to take a deeper breath. Terry, momentarily disoriented, jumped to his feet and reached for Dick again, but Joker pressed the gun more firmly into his temple.

"Ah ah ah, we still have business to attend to. Why don't you go plot yourself down by the others," Joker jerked his head towards the rest of the Waynes. This new development terrified all of them, especially Jason. They didn't even let Dick near the Joker as Robin; he always had to stay home. They all feared what would happen to their baby bird at his hands. Terry moved over to his family.

"Joker, please. Just tell us what you want, no one needs to get hurt." Tim, always the reasonable one.

"Oh ho ho-Timothy, is it?-on the contrary! It's so much more fun this way!" With that, Joker kicked Dick's legs out from under him and pushed him forcefully to the ground with a small "oof!," Dick slid a bit on his rear until his back hit one of the marble columns in the room. Instantly, as if rehearsed, two of the goons rushed towards him, pulling lengths of rope from their coats. One grabbed Dick's wrists and yanked his arms above his head, securing them to the column. Dick kicked at the other goon, who was attempting to tie his ankles together. The goon slammed an arm into his shins and used Dick's momentary falter to lash his ankles tightly and then backed away.

This had all been narrated by the rest of the Wayne family's indignant cries.

"Hey!" Jason.

"Stop that! Leave him alone!" Tim.

"Don't touch him! What do you want?!" Terry.

"Unhand Grayson now, Joker!" Damian.

And then there was Bruce's simple, angry cry of, "Joker!"

The Waynes were all glaring daggers now, fists clenched and ready to fight . They hadn't dared to move more than a step closer because of the guns trained on them as well as Dick, who was positioned so that he was facing them at a slight angle.

Dick pulled at the ropes around his wrist, but quickly realized the intricacy of the knot and knew he wouldn't be going anywhere soon.

All eyes were on Joker as he pulled a thick belt from his jacket. He walked over to Dick and threaded it just below his ribs and then around the column, so that his torso was now strapped to it. He locked it in the back with an impossible to pik or break electrical mechanism, pulling it so tightly around Dick that he could barely breathe without a spasm of pain, let alone move around.

The Wayne family wall breathed in sharply when they saw the belt. A bomb was bolted to it, equipped with a timer that was ready to be set for 3 minutes.

"What? What is it?" Unable to bend over, Dick's eyes moved to each of his family members' faces, trying to gauge their reactions.

"Dickie…" Terry whispered, eyes both sad and alarmed.

"Oh, no no no no no! We can't have any of that!" Joker whipped a filthy handkerchief from his breast pocked and pulled it between Dick's teeth, knotting it in the back of his head. Dick glared as Joker stepped back and stood straight, hands on his hips admiring his handy work. The looks on the Waynes' faces were absolutely murderous at this point.

"Joker," Bruce ground out, "What. Do. You. Want."

"Honestly?" The Joker raised an eyebrow, "I just wanted to have a little fun! But I figure I might as well get something out of it. So, here's the deal. Brucie, you're gong to show me to where you keep your money, and I'm going to walk away with it. Now, wait for it, here's the twist." Joker pulled a small remote from his pocked. It had two simple red buttons on the front. "When we leave this room, I'm going to pushed this button," he pointed to it, "which is going to activate the timer on that bomb." He pointed again. "As soon as I walk out the door with my money, I'll push _this_ button," he pointed to the other button on his remote, "which will stop the timer. So basically, you have 3 minutes to stop your baby brat from blowing sky high. Understand?"

The Waynes were staring at him with wide, horror-filled eyes. How could they possibly accomplish that in 3 minutes?

Joker snickered at their faces and clapped his hands together.

"Alrighty! Let's get a move on, then!" He gestured for two of his goons to follow him, but then stopped and seemed to consider something.

"Actually, you two," he pointed at Terry, then Damian, "stay here. The other two are coming with me and Brucie, just a little extra insurance." The goons pressed their guns against Tim and Jason's backs, shoving them towards the door. The Joker pointed his own gun at Bruce, then waved him towards the exit with it. As they left, Joker looked over his shoulder at Terry and Damien.

"Feel free to move about the cabin!" he called gleefully. Then he raised the remote and pressed the button as he walked out the door.

**I plan on continuing this, but only if people are actually liking it. Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok, here we go again! Thank you to Sairey13 for the advice on Bruce's age, I decided I wanted him to be at least 15 years older than Terry so there ya go! Also I tweaked the ages a bit, so keep that in mind when you're reading.**

**Ages-**

**Terry: 25**

**Damian:23**

**Tim: 21**

**Jason: 19 **

**Dick: 15**

**Bruce: 41**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

Alfred Pennyworth straightened the last crab cake on the silver tray, handing it to a young waiter and nodding at him, sending him out the kitchen door into the ballroom, where the party was already in full swing. Turning back around, he opened the kitchen cabinet that he knew would contain the last ornately engraved platter he needed for the night, but frowned when he didn't spot it. Sighing inwardly, Alfred recalled that he had delivered coffee to Terry in the batcave early that afternoon, and had left it down there with him at the young master's insistence. Alfred silently berated himself; this was not a mistake he would usually make, but his mind had been elsewhere with the part preparations.

Alfred closed the cabinet door softly and, straightening the knot of his tie, made his way down the long hallways of the manor to the study. Opening the double doors and entering, he turned to the old, non-functioning grandfather clock and approached it. He was just reaching for the hands of the clock's face when he heard the first screams. more shouts were heard from outside the study, followed by gunshots and loud crashes of shattering glass.

Alfred's mind swiftly kicked into gear. there had been previous parties at Wayne manor that had been interrupted by small groups of petty robbers and even by some of the super villains of Gotham city. He put the clues together and came to the clear conclusion that something similar was going on. Making a quick decision, Alfred opened up the clock, which led him to the dark, cavernous space under the manor that housed the batcave.

Still keeping his perfect posture and elegant steps, Alfred walked up to the large monitors; a very sophisticated, top-notch system that had been dubbed the bat computer so many years ago. Tapping in a couple of codes he had memorized long ago, Alfred pulled up the security feed. Video cameras strategically placed in hidden areas around the ballroom fed live footage to the computers so that Alfred could see exactly what was causing the chaos he had heard.

He watched as the Joker pointed a gun at Richard's head, then tied him up and strapped a bomb to his chest. He saw the indignant and furious looks on the rest of the Waynes' faces, and saw the Joker and his goons lead Bruce, Jason, and Timothy out of the ballroom at gunpoint. The most important thing that Alfred witnessed, however,, was that the belt holding Richard to the pillar was locked with an electrical lock.

Many people didn't know this, but Alfred knew just as much about the workings of the bat gadgets as the rest of the bat family. The lock was _electrical_. Electricity could be shorted out or cut off. Alfred, very conscious of the fact that he had less than 3 minutes to act, hurried to the area of the cave where the utility belt equipment was stored and started searching for what he needed. Finally he found it: a small, handheld EMP emitter. Gripping it in his hand and moving swiftly at a very un-Alfred like pace, he made his way back up to the young masters.

XxBREAKLINExX

The Joker goon roughly prodded Jason's back with the muzzle of his gun, forcing him forward through the grand double doors of the ballroom. Tim, as well as another goon with a gun trained on his back, stumbled, but followed close behind. Finally, out of the corner of his eye he saw Bruce walk out as well. Jason turned slightly so that he had a better view of the ballroom, the goon grunting and pressing harder but allowing it. What he saw made his heart feel as if it had stopped beating.

The Joker, after uttering some random one liner, had raised the remote controlling his little brother's life over his head and pushed the button that would doom him. Jason's hands clenched so tightly into fists that his fingernails would leave indents in his palm, and the seething glare of his face was enough to nearly cause the goon to step back. All he wanted to do was beat the Joker into a bloody pulp, but he knew he had to consider Dick's safety above everything else.

Joker closed the double doors with a flourish, the whipped around and snatched a lamp off a nearby table. He ripped of the shade then stuck the base of the lamp through the handles of the doors, so no one on the other side would be able to open them and would be trapped. Satisfied, Joker admired his work with his hands on his hips, very similar to what he had done over Dick just minutes previously.

Jason growled and glared harder at the Joker, very aware of each passing second.

"Well, let's get a move on, then!" he proclaimed loudly at him.

Tim looked at him with a slightly startled look on his face, but then the tiniest proud smile flickered over his expression. The whole family knew Jason still harbored a fear of the Joker, but it seemed he was shoving that aside to save his family.

"I couldn't agree more, kiddo!" He marched himself to the front of the group. "So, Brucie, where are we headed? You must have a safe behind _some_ painting, _some_where. Don't all rich people have that?"

Bruce's present expression had almost reached batglare level in intensity.

"It's in the sitting room," he forced out.

"Oh, goody. Well, then lead the way!" The Joker mock-bowed, spreading his arm out and inviting Bruce to go ahead.

Luckily, the sitting room, which was one of several in the manor, was very close to the ballroom. However, the trip down the hallway was excruciatingly long in Jason's mind. The constant pressure from the gun at his back and clock inside his head that was ticking down the seconds were making him more anxious and angry each moment.

Bruce glanced back at Tim and Jason and, seeing that the agitation on his own face matched theirs, he quickened his pace even more.

The Joker noticed this and cackled gleefully, showing his yellow teeth with a crazed smile.

"Whoa-ho-ho, Brucie, what's the rush? Oh, wait, that's right, your kid is about to be blown into a million tiny pieces! Ah, I just LOVE my job!" Joker then glanced back at Tim and Jason and saw the scowled on their faces in response to his gruesome comments.

"Wow, boys, you really should learn how to SMILE a little!" He pulled a small, very sharp blade from one of the many pockets in his jacket and waved it around threateningly. Somehow his face had managed to work itself into some twisted cross between a beaming smile and a sneer, making Jason shiver.

"This is it," Bruce's deep voice broke through Jason's haze and he realized they had finally made it to the sitting room. According to his inner clock it had only taken about a minute and a half, but that seemed like an enormous among of time considering how long they had to save Dick.

Jason adopted a look of steely determination and, with a peak at Tim and Bruce's faces, saw the same expression from them.

"How wonderful," Joker exclaimed in response to Bruce. "Well? Where is it, then? Probably behind the ugly landscape, am I right?" The Joker licked his lips and snickered in anticipation.

"No," Bruce deadpanned, making a move to head over to a table that was pushed up against the wall to their right.

"Hold it," The Joker whipped the gun in front of Bruce, stopping him from moving farther. "No funny business, or he gets shot," Joker announced, pointing the knife in his other hand at Jason, who stiffened. "And then you have two dead kids."

"Of course not," Bruce practically snarled, glancing at Jason then turning his glare back to Joker.

The Joker shrugged then lowered his arm. "No need to snap, please continue!"

Bruce surged forward and finally reached the table. He slid his hand under the left side and searched for a moment before finding what he was looking for. He grasped the small lever and pulled it forward. Instantly, a compartment popped open in the wall. It had been previously hidden completely from view; not one seem had been visible.

The Joker actually looked mildly impressed.

"Clever! Now, where's my money?"

Bruce reached out and grabbed either side of the protruding panel, sliding it to the left to reveal a very expensive and high-tech safe. He then angled his shoulders to the side a bit, strategically giving Jason and Tim a view of the number pad. Jason was confused by this for a moment, until he realized was Bruce was intending to show them.

Bruce quickly typed in a 6-digit combination. What the Joker didn't know, however, was that the password Bruce had used would not only open the safe but would also call the police with a silent alarm.

When the safe swung open Joker strode forward and shoved Bruce to the side. He pushed the door of the safe open all the way and peered inside, grinning happily at what he saw.

There were several stacks of cash inside, adding up to about a quarter of a million dollars, which as kept there as one of Bruce's "just in case" plans. Joker turned back around a gestured for his goons to come forward. They obeyed, each pulling out a large sack from who-knows where in their jackets. They shook their bags open then leaned into the safe, scooping out the packets of bills like their lives depended on it.

Jason checked his internal clock: 45 seconds left. Finally, feeling like he was about to explode, he yelled out at the Joker:

"Turn off the bomb now, you have your money!"

The Joker turned around and waved his gun at the three Waynes in the room.

"Actually, kiddo, I said I'd turn it off when I got out of here with my money, and I'm still her, so looks like you get to wait a bit longer!"

"We got all the dough, boss," one of the goons announced, speaking for the first time and heaving the two bags of cash over his shoulders. The other goons held both machine guns, still trained on Tim, Jason, and Bruce.

"Well, lets move, then! Before any cops show up-" the three Waynes froze at this "-I'm sure one of those annoying party guests has called them by now." They all let out their breaths.

With renewed vigor, Joker strode past the Waynes and out the door with his henchmen leading Bruce, Tim, and Jason out as well. Somehow, the Joker seemed to know exactly where he was headed. 10 seconds later the small party, if you could call it that, was at the grand entrance to the manor. Joker swung the doors open and the goons rushed out with their moneybags. They headed straight out to a green and purple van that was anything but inconspicuous, and that they must have used as transportation, and started packing the bags into the back.

To make up for the sudden lack of firearms Joker pulled out one of his hand guns and pointed it at the Waynes.

They had 20 seconds.

"Now turn it off!" Tim exploded, shocking Jason and Bruce but also reflecting what they were feeling.

"Yeah, about that…" Joker's smile hinted at a dark secret. "See, the thing is I got distracted when I was setting up the remote, so… there is no off button. My bad! But really, you must have seen that coming, right?" Laughing loudly, he tossed them the bomb remote, bolted out the door, jumped into the front seat of the van and gunned the engine, speeding away recklessly.

Jason caught the remote and frantically pushed the off button several times, quickly realizing the Joker had told the truth.

Tim, Jason, and Bruce exchanged glances with horror and realization in their eyes. Time was up for Dick.

A loud explosion was heard in the background, and the ground vibrated slightly from it.

"NO!" Bruce shouted. The three took off, sprinting down the hallways with the speed of true Gotham vigilantes towards the ballroom.

Jason's mind was going crazy and shock was close to overcoming him. No. This wasn't possible, this could be happening. Not Dick, please don't let him be gone. Whoever's listening, just, please. Don't take him away.

They reached the ballroom doors. Bruce got there first and noticed that the lamp base had already been removed from the door handles. He hesitated for only an instant before yanking the doors open and revealing the smoking room. Jason's heart stopped.

No. Oh God, please, no.

**Hahahaha I know, I'm evil, but I think I gave you a solid hint on what's going to happen with Dick. Next chapter will be what's happening in the ballroom with Dick, Terry, and Damian at the same time. **

**Also, I just want to say that I'm struggling to find time for writing because of an overload of AP homework, but I'm hoping the next chapter won't take more than 1 or 2 weeks to get up.**

**Thanks for reading, please review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**IMPORTANT! I changed a minor detail at the very end of the last chapter. It doesn't affect the story much, but you may be a bit confused, so I would suggest going back and reading the last two paragraphs again.**

**WOW! I can't believe how many reviews I've gotten, thank you to everyone! You've really helped me get the inspiration to put this chapter out quickly.**

**Final note: I changed my user name from Livie201 to Queen of deNile, just so no one is confused**

**Ages-**

**Terry: 25**

**Damian:23**

**Tim: 21**

**Jason: 19**

**Dick: 15**

**Bruce: 41**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

Terry watched stone-faced as half of his family and the two Joker goons exited the ballroom. Joker left last, after turning towards Terry and winking, then swinging the huge oak doors shut with a bang.

The moment Terry heard the finality of the slamming doors he was moving, Damian right alongside him. They swiftly closed the distance between Dick and themselves, crouching beside him. The goon trained his gun on them but made no other move to stop them, probably because of the last thing Joker had said after his dramatic death speech:

_"Feel free to move about the cabin."_

Damian immediately reached up to the ropes around Dick's wrists to untie them. He noticed they were incredibly tight, and cutting into his wrists enough to make them bleed. Scowling at that discovery, Damian touched the ropes, but as he did so the goon grunted angrily and pointed the gun straight at Damian's head.

"Leave them," he ordered in a rough, raspy voice. It sounded rarely used, and probably was, seeing as this was the first time they had heard him talk.

Damian glared furiously, opening his mouth to argue or make a snarky comment, but Terry's hand on his shoulder stopped his voice. Damian swung his glare towards Terry, but relented when he saw the desperate look in his brother's eyes. Damian settled on rubbing a thumb gently over the white clenched knuckles of Dick's hand, then brought the same fingers down to run a comforting hand through Dick's hair. He finally looked into his littlest brother's eyes.

Dick was desperately attempting to maintain his composure, but to his trained bat brothers the terror in his eyes was apparent.

"It's ok, Dickie, we're right here. You'll be fine, we're going to get you out, I promise," Terry murmured soothing words as he took Damian's place rubbing Dick's hair. Dick's eyes wandered to the gun then back to look into Damian's eyes, then Terry's. He tugged on the ropes around his wrists again, clearly beginning to panic. Terry made the mistake of glancing back down to the bomb timer: 2 and a half minutes.

Dick saw the direction of Terry's gaze and the flash of worry over his expression and closed his eyes tightly, clenching his teeth over the rag in his mouth. He tried to wipe the panic from his features and get control of his emotions, but it didn't seem to be working.

Damian sighed and, in a very uncharacteristic move, grabbed Dick's chin lightly. He ran his thumb over Dick's cheek, wiping away a tear Dick didn't know he had allowed to slip out.

"Open you eyes, Grayson," Damian commanded in a soft voice.

Terry stared at him incredulously, stunned Damian was capable of such a gentle action.

Dick's face loosened at Damian's words, and he slowly peeled his eyes open, peering at his brothers from under his eyelashes, his startling blue irises slightly wet with unshed tears.

"We _will_ get you out," Damian declared with confidence.

"Yeah, buddy, nothing to worry about," Terry added, leaning in and pressing a kiss against Dick's forehead.

Dick raised an eyebrow at him and rolled his eyes, a hint of a smirk appearing across his bound lips. It was at this point that the two oldest brothers noticed the trouble he was having with his breathing.

The belt was secured so firmly around his chest that Dick could barely bring in enough air. Terry pressed a hand to his chest, lightly guiding him through the rising and falling of his diaphragm.

"Just breathe, Dickie-bird. We're right here, I've got you," He encouraged.

Damian's hand twitched towards Dick's wrists again, itching to rip off the bonds and get his baby brother out of there, and hide him away where he could never get hurt again. He glanced down at the bright green numbers again.

1 minute, 45 seconds.

Enough was enough, Damian decided. moving at a speed only a trained hero could accomplish, Damien leaped to his feet and, in one swift motion, he kicked the gun from the goon's hand and punched him strategically in the head, knocking him out instantly.

Damian whirled back around and he and Terry immediately sprung into action, pulling out small emergency penknives and slicing through the sharp ropes around Dick's wrists and ankles.

Dick pulled his arms down and reached behind his head to untie the gag, flinging the dirty cloth as far away from them as possible. He rubbed his raw wrists and rolled his shoulders, trying to work out the kinks and soreness from being in such an awkward position.

Terry and Damian had immediately set to work attempting to unwrap the bomb that still fastened Dick to the column. Dick wrapped his hands around the belt, trying to wriggle free. He gasped in pain when he realized he was aggravating bruises the thick, tight strap had already made. The sharp intake of breath rushed down his throat and set off a round of hard, painful coughing. He tilted his head back against the column and squeezed his eyes shut again, bringing his arm to his mouth to try and stifle the loud rasping.

Dick opened his eyes when he felt Terry replace his hand on Dick's chest. Terry's eyes held even more worry now, accompanied by the anxiety that came with a ticking clock.

"Come on buddy, breathe. In, out, there ya go," he coached. "You're good, you're ok."

A small smile appeared on Dick's face, and his fingers circled Terry's wrist reassuringly.

"I know," his voice was nearly a whisper, "I'm good, Terr, thanks."

Terry smiled and brushed Dick's bangs back again

"Well, good," he retorted.

"McGinnis," Damian beckoned for Terry to join him on the other side of the column. He gestured at the lock when Terry joined him, communicating silently that he couldn't get it off. They didn't want to worry Dick more than he already was.

"Guys? What's wrong?" Dick's voice travelled back to them. "Wait, that was a dumb question."

Terry and Damian looked at each other and rolled their eyes, smirking. Trust Dick to still be cracking jokes.

"Can you wriggle out of it, Dick?" Terry was desperately searching for another solution; they were running out of time.

Dick shifted around, but for all his flexibility and acrobatic skill couldn't seem to free himself. He groaned in frustration.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I just can't."

Terry bit his lip, but responded with, "It's ok. We'll get it." How were they supposed to get this?

1 minute left.

"Guys? Just go, ok? Leave me, I don't was you to die too, please." Dick sounded utterly defeated.

"Grayson, don't you dare give up now. We'll get you out, just trust us." Damian couldn't stand to hear the failing hope in his normally cheerful brother's voice. They had to figure this out, they _would_ figure this out. And in the mean time, he wouldn't leave his brother's side for the world.

xXBREAKLINEXx

Alfred rushed up the steps of the batcave with the small EMP emitter clutched tightly in his hand. He reached the exit and typed in the code to open it, stepping out from behind the grandfather clock. With quick strides he made his way to the door of the study, but froze when he heard movement behind it.

Pressing his ear and one hand to the large oak door, Alfred strained to hear what was going on in the hallway. To his dismay, he caught the exchange between Bruce and the Joker.

"-don't all rich people have one?" The Joker's sadistic voice reached him, followed by Bruce's answer-

"It's in the sitting room," he sounded very frustrated, and had a good reason to be.

Making a quick decision, Alfred whirled back around and went straight back to the clock. He knew he couldn't risk being caught by going into the hall the others had occupied, but he needed to get to the ballroom as soon as possible.

Suddenly, Alfred froze in his tracks. He couldn't believe he hadn't remembered this sooner. Years ago Damian, who had always loved exploring every nook and tiny space of the batcave, had discovered a small tunnel that burrowed deep into the wall on the far side of the cave. When Bruce had seen it he decided it was about time to create another exit from the cave, "just in case." He had cleared out the tunnel until it let out into a panel in the floor of a sitting room near the ballroom. Thank goodness it wasn't the same sitting room the safe was located in.

Alfred reopened the clock and _jogged_ to this second exit, something he hadn't done for a long time. He moved across the cave to the far wall and through the tunnel, following it in an upward slant until he hit an apparent dead end. He pushed upwards on the ceiling and it gave away and lifted on his fingertips. He lifted it higher and pushed it to the side, pulling himself up through the gap. He emerged from the granite floor of the room and stood up straight, brushing off his suit and setting off again.

When Alfred arrived in front of the ballroom, after carefully making sure the hallway was clear, he knew he was cutting it very close. By his count, richard had about 1 minute left. He sincerely hoped the other young masters had already managed to free him somehow, but he knew this wasn't very plausible.

Alfred pulled the lamp base from the door handles, realizing with disgust the Joker had intended to lock the other two boys as well as his henchmen in the room with the bomb. He quickly grasped the door handles and yanked them open, preparing himself for the worst scenarios if he were to fail in his mission.

xXBREAKLINEXx

60...59...58... the seconds ticked down before Terry's eyes. Despite his best intention he was beginning to lose hope.

_No. Can't think like that. Can't give up,_ he berated himself. But dang, if this whole situation didn't seem impossible.

Then, like a gift from heaven, he heard a bang from outside the ballroom doors before they were pushed open and Wayne Manor's faithful butler walked in. Terry realized he hadn't even thought about where Alfred might've been while everything was going on. He supposed he'd just assumed ALfred had gotten out with the other guests, but now he realized Alfred was just too loyal to leave them in such a dark hour.

Terry's face broke into a realized grin, and he saw a flash of hope in Damian's eyes.

"Alfie! Please tell me you brought something to help us out!"

At Terry's words Dick whipped his head around and craned his neck to try to see behind him. When he saw Alfred his hope-filled smile was blinding. Terry just hoped that that relief would be rewarded.

"Of course, Master Terrance," Alfred announced. He reached them and held out his hand, displaying a small device they all recognized immediately.

"Genius, Pennyworth," Damian congratulated, snatching the device and examining it quickly.

39...38...37...

The handheld EMP emitter would need to be attached directly to the lock, which Damian did. Terry and Alfred watched anxiously as he pressed several buttons to activate it. Dick was desperately trying to see what was going on.

Unfortunately, it took a moment for the emitter to start up, and another for it to begin to work. Finally, as all four of the room's conscious occupants held their breath, several sharp clicks were heard as the lock shut down.

18...17...16...

Finally, _finally,_ the lock fell open and the belt slipped limply down Dick's stomach. Terry let out a strangled sound of relief. Damian reached over to Dick and wrapped his arm around his chest, pulling him closer into a sort of half hug.

Dick turned around into Damian's chest, grabbing ahold of his biceps and burying his face between Damien's neck and shoulder. Damien stood up, dragging Dick with him, and the other two got to their feet as well.

5...4...3...

They suddenly realized their mistake; they should've gotten rid of the bomb immediately. Terry kicked it as hard as he could away from them, and it slid across the floor with a whooshing sound. Not far enough away though, they observed

There was no time to grab the Joker's goon. They only managed to take two steps away before the counter reached 1. Damian threw himself over Dick and they both crashed to the ground, Terry doing the same with Alfred.

The bomb exploded with a deafening bang, scattering debris from the party setup and bits of stone and other fine materials that went into the structure of the grand room. The blast expanded and covered the present Wayne family with a layer of sharp bits and large chunks of everything. And then, there was silence.

A moment later Bruce, Tim, and Jason barged into the room, each stopped in their tracks by the pure destruction they saw before them.

**Please please please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi everyone! **

**Thank you all so much for the awesome reviews and support you all have shown for this story. I really love writing it and I will never abandon it, but I'll admit I'm having a hard time getting the momentum up with this next chapter. I've restarted 3 times, and I just can't get it right. Besides this I've had lots of homework and other junk to deal with, so I haven't had much time to write. I will continue this eventually, but I won't be updating weekly like I have up until this point. **

**If anybody has any suggestions about the next chapter, PM me or review with your ideas, I'd really appreciate it!**

**See you all soon, **

**Queen of deNile**


	5. Chapter 5

**Yay it's finally up! I'm so sorry that this took so long, and I guess this is sort of a filler chapter, but it's here! Thank you to everyone for the continued support and suggestions, and to everyone who reviewed, favorited, or followed.**

**Ages-**

**Terry: 25**

**Damian:23**

**Tim: 21**

**Jason: 19**

**Dick: 15**

**Bruce: 41**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

Running into the ballroom, Tim, Jason, and Bruce simultaneously gasped. The expression_ it looked like a bomb had gone off_ suddenly held a lot more meaning. Rubble and chunks of debris blanketed nearly every inch of the ground, and a fog of dust had taken up residence in the air, making Tim cough slightly.

After a short pause in the doorway to get ahold of their shock, the half of the Wayne family that was still on their feet snapped into action. There was a good chance at least one person was injured, and if this was the case they didn't have time to be overwhelmed by emotions and worry.

_Stay whelmed_, Dick's voice flashed through Jason's thoughts.

TIm gingerly stepped over a chunk of marble pillar, and Jason used a very ungraceful kick to knock a table out of his path. Bruce hurried out in front of them, having a hand in front of his face to try and gain visibility in the musty air. They all quickly congregated towards the center of the room, where the pillar Dick had been strapped to stood.

_Well_, Jason observed, _used to stand._ Something large must've struck the marble, because it had cracked, crumbled, and split in many places.

As Tim reached the other two, he suddenly felt something different under his foot. He pulled his weight back quickly, eyes scanning the ground for the soft object he had stepped on. He finally realized what it was, and his face paled considerably. His mind was racing, trying to analyze the implications of what he saw.

"Tim? What is it?" Bruce called over to him.

"It's...it's the Joker's goon…" Tim trailed off. He had stepped on the goon's bloody hand, which was attached to his half-buried body. He was covered in cuts and scratches that ranged from barely a paper cut to the large chunk of glass that was impaled in his stomach.

Tim knelt down and placed two fingers on the goon's neck, checking for his pulse. Nothing. He shifted his fingers around, hoping he had simply missed it. Still failing to detect the steady beat, he came to the inevitable conclusion: the goon was dead, and that meant the others were in danger of the same fate.

Tim's sense of urgency growing, he stood and turned to face the other two, who were waiting for his declaration. TIm met their eyes and shook his head once, communicating his message simply as he saw Jason and Bruce adopt the grim expression in his own eyes.

Without needing to pass along a plan of action, the three turned away from each other and each frantically began to search for the rest of their family.

Suddenly, a rough, painful sounding cough sliced through the air. Tim, Jason, and Bruce froze, straining to detect where the sound had come from. A few feet to Jason's right, the rubble began to tremble and shift. Looking closer, Jason realized it was Terry trying to push himself to his feet, and he gave a shout of surprise and relief.

Jason bolted over to Terry, the others following on his heels. Jason grasped Terry's upper arm and hauled him to his feet. Terry glanced at Jason once, then doubled over, hands on his knees, and his body wracked with a violent coughing fit.

Tim looked past Terry and spotted Alfred on the ground as well, also attempting to stand. Tim crouched beside him and, after noting the only injuries on the butler had sustained were some bruises and minor glass cuts, he gently helped him to stand. Alfred looked very shaken, but he composed himself with the skill of an English gentleman and brushed dust off of his rumpled suit.

Bruce grabbed Terry's shoulders as the coughing subsided and critically examined him for injuries. The young man was fairly worse-for-wear, but there was nothing life-threatening about his situation. His suit was torn in several places, especially around his legs, and small amounts of blood dribbled out of numerous cuts the flying debris had left on his body. Even more minor were the slightly scorched sections of the tux; yes, terry would definitely be needing a new suit after this, and likely so would the others.

Clearly Terry and Alfred had crashed to the ground in an area that was fortunately not a hot spot for flying rubble and destruction. they could only hope the other two had been as lucky.

After he finished his evaluation of Terry, Bruce stepped back from his eldest and asked the question on everyone's minds:

"What happened to Dick and Damian?"

Terry hacked up a couple more coughs before answering.

"They dove down at the same time we did, just a couple yards to the right."

Five heads swiveled in that direction, and then they were all moving in a practiced rhythm in the direction of the two missing brothers. Tim, being the closest, had the lead when he yet again spotted blood. It was stained on the floor and several small debris chunks in one general area. He looked closer, and the others behind Tim focused on the area as well.

When they all at once observed a bit of black fabric under a section of a broken chair, Bruce was the first to move forward. He heaved it up ad off his sons lying below, throwing it forcefully to the side.

Damian was lying on top of Dick, barely conscious with eyes glazed over from pain. Bruce's eyes widened and he dropped to his knees beside the two, Jason and Tim joining him as they cleared the area of rubbish and shoved away the bits that covered Damian's legs and lower back.

Jason winced as he realized what had caused the grimace on Damian's face. His right leg was twisted at the knee where something large and heavy must have landed on it. Bruce ran his hand over Damian's calf gently, feeling for a break and frowning when he found it; Damian's leg was definitely broken.

Besides this he had several more severe cuts than Terry, the worst being a foot-long gash running across his shoulder blade, which was steadily leaking a dark flow of blood, which could become very problematic if they didn't take care of it quickly. His left arm was curled around Dick's waist tightly, and the youngest still hadn't stirred.

"Tim, help me roll him over," Bruce directed as Damian blinked a couple times and moaned quietly, body slowly shifting in an attempt to move off of Dick. Bruce braced his hand around Damian's lower leg, and together with Tim they shifted him over and onto his back.

Damian's eyelids fluttered and Bruce sat next to him again and patted his cheek with a couple light slaps, trying to keep him from passing out. Damian's head rolled a bit, but he seemed to at least partly snap out of his daze and focus on Bruce's hovering face.

Bruce peeled off Damian's jacket and folded it, using it to apply pressure to the increasingly bloody shoulder area, trying to stem the blood flow as much as possible.

While the other two pulled Damian away, Jason was focused on Dick's unconscious form. Seeing that the others were distracted, the ever-practical Alfred pulled out a cell-phone and punched in 9-1-1; he knew they would need to make a trip to the hospital.

When the operator picked up, Alfred calmly reported the situation.

"A bomb has gone off at Wayne Manor. Two people are minorly injured, one person is more severely injured with a broken leg and shoulder laceration and a fourth is unconscious, possible concussion."

"Wait, sir, did you say Wayne Manor? About five minutes ago we got about a hundred reports of the Joker breaking in and firing rounds into the crowd. We've already sent police and ambulances to the site, they should arrive in 10-15 minutes. Please keep calm and hang on while you wait for their arrival."

"Much appreciated, miss, we will stand by for the paramedics."

"Thank you sir, and I hope everyone is alright."

With that, the woman hung up and Alfred quickly turned to Jason, who had been watching him through the whole conversation.

"The paramedics should arrive shortly, Master Jason. How is Master Richard?"

Jason had pulled Dick into his lap and wrapped his arms around his biceps and chest, his little brother's head resting against Jason's collar bone. There was a steady flow of blood coming from his left temple which Jason had stifled by ripping off a piece of his shirt and wrapping it around his head, and as Alfred had relayed to the operator, it was likely he had a concussion.

Other than that, Dick was pretty much unharmed. Damian's body had shielded him from the heaviest debris, leaving only a few small bits to get through and cut up his lower legs.

Jason had uncharacteristically been a proper mother hen when he had first reached Dick lying on the ground unconscious, checking him over thoroughly for any other glaring problems, and had been relieved when he found none. He had attempted to wake him to no avail, and since Alfred had already called for help he had settled for holding Dick close and waiting for them to arrive.

Jason sighed and glanced back down at Dick's slack expression before finally answering Alfred's question.

"He's alright, but..." Jason hesitated and turned his head in Damian's direction, who he could tell was becoming more lucid and aware. As much as he hated to admit it and would probably never say it out loud, he really did care about Damian like a brother, and he didn't like seeing any of his family hurt. He was worried for Damian, but the injuries weren't fatal and he knew he would be fine.

Alfred smiled knowing, as if he suspected exactly what was going through Jason's mind. His boys may fight and sometimes they hated each other, but at the end of the day they were brothers and they were fiercely protective of each other. No one was allowed to get away with hurting one of the Wayne boys.

Jason's eyes drifted back to look into Alfred's, the 19-year-old clearly unable to force himself to articulate his feelings. Alfred nodded gently at him, and Jason smirked slightly, pulling an arm back from around Dick's torso and running it through Dick's hair gently.

Terry watched the exchange between the two and was about to step over to speak with Alfred when the blaring wails of sirens sliced through the quiet air of the room. Terry startled slightly, but recovered and, still slightly unsteady on his feet, he stumbled over the unevenness of the rubble-covered floor towards the entrance of the ballroom. He glanced back at the rest of the family slightly uncertainly, but Bruce nodded an approval of his actions and Terry whipped back around to rush out the door and meet the paramedics.

Terry rushed down the hallways and towards the Manor's front entrance. He skidded to a half at the wide open door, peering outside at the police car and ambulance that were stopped in the driveway. The EMTs were already out of the ambulance when a tall, brown-haired man spotted Terry standing in the doorway.

"How many are injured? What details can you give me?" The man demanded in a deep, confident voice.

"One of my brothers has a broken leg and a cut across his shoulder that's about 12 inches long and bleeding pretty badly, he's awake but not completely aware. The youngest was knocked out and hasn't woken up yet, and he might have a concussion," Terry reported in an equally urgent tone.

The EMT nodded at him in understanding and worked with the other person in the car, a dirty blonde woman with a long ponytail and skinny waist, to swing open the back doors of the ambulance pull out two wheeled gurneys. They eached grabbed the rails of one and and rushed to wheel them up the Manor's front steps. A stout police officer followed them with a grim expression on his face, looking right at Terry as he approached.

"I'll have question as soon as we make sure everyone is taken care of. Is the perp still in the vicinity?"

"Of course, Officer. And no, the Joker is probably long gone by now," Terry relayed with a regretful expression. The policeman nodded and gestured for Terry to lead the way. He turned and rushed ahead of the others, weaving through the halls and finally making it back to the ballroom.

As they reached their destination the paramedics pulled ahead and went straight to the small congregation in the center of the destroyed room. They carefully maneuvered their gurneys around with a practiced ease and pulled up beside the men. As Terry and the police officer joined them, Terry immediately knew something was seriously wrong by the scared look on Tim's face and the stone hard one on Bruce's.

The two both looked up as the second party enters joins them. As Terry looked more closely at Damian, he realized that blood was not only spilling from the gash on Damian's back but now also from the corner of his mouth.

_Oh, no._

Damian was bleeding internally. He must've been hit by something a lot harder than they had previously realized, causing something inside to tear, and now Damian's injuries were suddenly a lot more serious. The paramedics realized this as well, and the man bent down to check Damian's pulse and breathing. After being reassured that they were at least somewhat stable for now, he had Bruce assist him in lifting Damian onto the gurney.

A couple feet away, Jason was helping the woman do the same with Dick. After situating him, the woman, who had introduced herself as Kay Gardner, placed a brace around his neck. She looked over at her partner, who was preparing to move Damian. They locked eyes and then with a skill that showed they had worked together for a long time, they moved together to get both boys out the door, back through the hallways, and into the ambulance to speed them to the hospital.

The others all hopped up and moved to follow them, planning to rush to the garage and hop into one of Bruce's many expensive cars for the stressful ride to the hospital. As they did so, the officer threw out a hand and halted them for a moment in their tracks.

"Wait, I have a couple quick questions to ask, it's important that I-" Bruce interrupted him with a voice very close to an all-out snarl.

"Two of my sons are currently on their way to the hospital, you questions can certainly wait until a less urgent time."

The officer paled and stepped aside with a shocked expression on his face in response to the malice in Bruce's voice; there was no doubt that Bruce was incredibly intimidating, but of course the policeman had had no way of knowing that.

Alfred, Tim, Jason, Terry, and Bruce all broke into all-out sprints, nearly plowing the officer, and headed straight for the garage, leaving the stunned man still standing frozen in their wake, until he, too, rushed out to get in his patrol car and meet them at the hospital.

**I'm sorry about the ending, but I was running out of time and I sort of just threw it together. The next chapter will probably take about the same amount of time to get up, and I'm really sorry about that, but I'll get it out as soon as possible.**

**Reviews are a writer's fuel, please tell me what you thought or what you'd like to see!**


	6. Chapter 6

**So it's been *cough* over a month since I've updated. Um, whoops? So, here's the thing:**

**READ THIS if you want to know what in the world is going on with this story.**

**I don't have time to write anymore. At all, ever. So, for the time being, I will not be writing any more multi-chapter fics. This one was supposed to include an emergency room scene, then a bunch of recovery time, the team (mostly Wally and Artemis), and then Bruce going after the Joker. Unfortunately, that's no longer possible.**

**Also, as I was reading through the first few chapters, I realized that I really hate the writing style I used. This chapter is better, and I enjoyed writing this story, but my writing has improved a lot since school started up again so the newer stuff I'll do in the future will be much, much better.**

**So, this is about 1000 words that I had originally written for the beginning of the next chapter, but then revised so it is now the last chapter of the fic. There will also be an epilogue, coming soon, but honestly I don't know when. Watch out for it, because it'll mostly involve some really awesome fluff scenes. I'm pretty excited about it. **

**I have really appreciated everyone's support! **

**Ages: Refer to previous chapters**

**Disclaimer: I don't own these characters**

Tires squealed loudly as two vehicles sped out of Wayne's Manor's huge garage. Jason, unable to wait for the others, had pulled ahead of the others on his black and red Harley Davidson motorcycle, taking a wide turn out of the gates that had his left leg nearly touching the road. Bruce followed, taking the turn right behind Jason in his flashy red BMW, Terry in the passenger seat and Tim in the back.

They were a couple minutes behind the ambulance, but that wouldn't last long at the speed that the Waynes were going. Jason followed the roads into town and towards the hospital, steering at dangerous angles and speeds that may or may not have been possible only because of additions he had made to his bike without Bruce's permission. Normally Bruce wouldn't approve of Jason's insane driving, but in this case he was being as reckless as his son.

Tim was a very logical person, and his scientific brain didn't usually allow for thoughts of religion. That was changing in that moment, as he squeezed his eyes shut and prayed that Dick and Damian, _Damian,_ the brother he never got along with, would be okay.

XxBREAKLINExX

Dick slowly became aware to loud sirens and muffled voices that were calm but urgent. He struggled to remember why that might be, lifting his head slightly off the fairly soft surface he was lying on. With a moan he allowed his head to fall back down as it all came back to him in a flash: the Joker, a bomb, his brother and Alfred, then an explosion and nothing.

A voice floated through the scrambled mess of his mind, soothing his hazy thoughts and clearing them up a bit.

"It's okay, sweetie, you're alright. Just try not to move, you're in an ambulance on the way to the hospital, you have a concussion. My name is Kay, I'll be right here with you."

Dick struggled to peel open his eyelids, to shake off the persistent daze. He caught a glimpse of a blonde swish and the shape of a face, but everything else was blurry. Something tickled in the back of his mind that he knew he should be remembering. It was important. What was it? Frustrated, he stretched his mind further in search of the memories that eluded him.

Suddenly he became more aware in an instant, the flashback finally coming back to him. His brothers had been in the room too, and oh no. Damian had been directly on top of him. If Dick was hurt, who knew what had happened to his older brother. With a new resolve Dick tried desperately to catch the attention of the blonde woman...what was her name? Katie? Kyley? Gosh his head hurt.

"Ddmmannn…" He managed to mumble out. The blonde woman was instantly at attention, warm expression visible right above him as he felt her hand on his cheek. Or at least, he thought that's what it was.

"It's alright, you're going to be fine, hon, don't try to talk," she wasn't understanding. Dick tried to make her understand, he needed to know, good or bad.

"N-Nnoo...M-mmy, my brothrr…" He trailed off, the pain in his skull intensifying. He let his head roll to the side, his cheek resting on the fabric of the gurney he was lying on. Dick was just so tired, he couldn't make himself focus on anything, his coherency slipping in and out. What the heck was wrong with him?

Black spots invaded the edges of his vision, and Dick could _feel_ himself slipping away from the conscious world, the little coherency he had retained fleeing fast. Dick fell away completely, just as he heard a man's voice frantically rising in volume and caught a blurry glimpse of Kay's worried expression.

XxBREAKLINExX

The next hours were a blur of rushing hospital staff and frantic Wayne family members. Two CT scans later, it was determined that both Dick and Damian had fairly minor injuries. Dick's concussion was mild, and after receiving strict orders from the doctors to rest, which would be closely reinforced by Alfred, he was released back to his anxiously waiting family, who had all changed into sweats and t-shirts that had been graciously provided by Alfred's quick thinking..

Terry had swept him up into his arms and squeezed him into a suffocating hug, which Dick had eagerly returned. After Terry released him Jason had grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, putting his hands on either side of Dick's face. He brush back the youngest boy's hair, giving him a once-over to assure himself that Dick was, in fact, _okay._ He then ruffled the 15-year-old's hair and gave him a rare smile, before warning him to _don't you dare scare him like that again_, and passing him off to a patiently waiting Tim.

Tim wasn't the touchy type, but he could make exceptions for their youngest, allowing a tight hug and quick hair ruffle. Bruce was last, with a series of interrogation-like questions and a grip on his shoulder that really just showed he cared. Dick laughed with his family, smiling widely and letting his brothers mother him, answering their worried questions and asking his own about _how were they doing_ and what exactly happened and where was the Joker.

But really, the only thing that Dick could think about was if Damian was okay. His older brother had dove on top of him to save his life, and Dick was worried that that had caused some kind of major damage. But, when the Damian's doctor had finally come out to deliver news, it was good.

The internal bleeding had not been severe at all. In fact, he would only be observed for the night and maybe the next day, but they could already go in and see him and they talked and it was all good in Dick's book. Which was a relief, because this family didn't usually get lucky enough to have a happy ending. Dick guessed this was the universe allowing them to have a lucky break and a sigh of relief for once in their hectic lives.

**So again, watch out for the epilogue!**

**Thanks for reading, please please please review! It'll help me get the final part out sooner!**


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